Reports in France indicate the Ligue 1 toppers are still very keen to land Mata but want to sell a current player before starting negotiations with the Blues, in a deal that could be worth as much as £40m.

Pastore made the switch to PSG in 2011 from Palermo for a reported fee of nearly £40m, but has failed to reach the heights of his hefty price-tag.

The Argentina international was one of the first major signings since PSG's Qatari takeover, but has failed to nail down a starting spot in Laurent Blanc's first-team with the subsequent acquisitions of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani.

The Premier League rivals have both been linked with a potential bid in January for the midfielder's services, as Arsene Wenger and Brendan Rodgers look to strengthen as the league title race heats up.

PSG boss Laurent Blanc [GETTY]

“Some managers will not give you any reasons as to why you are playing or not playing simply because they don’t have to”

Juan Mata

PSG failed in their attempts to bring Mata to the Parc des Princes in the summer, but manager Blanc is eager to strike a deal with Mourinho for the playmaker in the new year.

Pastore may not be the only midfielder heading for the exit door at PSG, with other names such as Jeremy Menez and Lucas Moura being touted as possible candiate that could also help spark a move for Mata.

The amount of starts Mata has been given under boss Jose Mourinho has been talking point during the current season, but the man himself says he hasn't been left worried by his exclusion.

"I just try to keep myself going the same, no matter what kind of behaviour, because as a professional, you have to be ready for every situation and whether he does or doesn’t speak to you, you should never let that in any way affect the level of your performance," he said.

"But to be honest I’m the calmest person of them all because I believe in myself and always try to draw the positive things from the toughest moments, so I was okay then and I am okay now."